Sheet piler having movable edge aligning means



June 14, 1966 p. BUCCICONE 3,256,010

SHEET FILER HAVING MOVABLE EDGE ALIGNING MEANS Filed Sept. 5, 1963 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG./

INVENTOR.

DA RIO BUCCICONE m Wf WA TTYS.

June 14, 1966 D. BucclcoNE 3,256,010

SHEET FILER HAVING MOVABLE EDGE ALIGNING MEANS Filed Sept. 5, 1963 6 She ts-Sheet 2 .NVENTOR.

DA RIO BUCCICONE 2 MXMQM/ 2 WAfTYS.

June 14, 1966 D. BUCCICONE 3,

SHEET FILER HAVING MOVABLE EDGE ALIGNING MEANS 6 She ts-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 5, 1963 INVENTOR.

DAR/0 BUCC/CONE June 14, 1966 D. BUCCICONE 3,256,010

SHEET PILER HAVING MOVABLE EDGE ALIGNING MEANS Filed Sept. 5, 1963 6 She ts-Sheet 4 DAR/0 BUCCICONE D. BUCCICONE 3,256,010

SHEET FILER HAVING MOVABLE EDGE ALIGNING MEANS June 14, 1966 6 $he tsSheet 6 Filed Sept. 5, 1963 INVENTOR.

DA RIO BUCC/CONE I v 5 J 2 A TTYS United States Patent 3,256,010 SHEET PILER HAVING MOVABLE EDGE ALIGNING lVIEANS Dario Buccicone, Gary, Ind., assignor to Bucciconi Engineering (30., Inc., Gary, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Filed Sept. 3, 1963, Ser. No. 306,113 13 Claims. (Cl. 271-68) This invention relates to sheet handling apparatus and is more particularly concerned with improvements in apparatus for piling or stacking sheet materials usually at the end of a sheet processing or treating line.

It is a general object of the invention to provide in a sheet piler of the type in which sheets of uniform width are delivered by an overhead conveyor to a stack supporting table or pallet an improved apparatus for guiding the side edges of the sheets as they are released by the conveyor so that they fall or settle onto the pile with their side edges in vertically disposed alignment.

It is a more specific object of the invention to provide in a sheet piler, of the type wherein the successive sheets are delivered by an overhead conveyor for deposit in a piler box, an improved guide mechanism for the side edges of the sheets which enables the sides of the piler box to be opened for easy access to the formed pile of sheets, thereby permitting ready addition or removal of a sheet or sheets and easy removal and/or placement of skids or pallets on the lift bed or table.

It is a still more specific object of the invention to provide a piler apparatus for sheet materials wherein sheet edge guide members are provided which are pivotally mounted along the sides of the piler box so that they are swingable on vertical axes to open up the sides of the pilerbox when desired, thereby to aiford easy access to the pile or lift bed for the same.

It is a further object of the invention to provide in a sheet piler having a piler box and an overhead conveyor for delivering sheets thereto edge guides for the side edges of the sheets as they are dropped into the piler box which are mounted on vertical pivots for swinging movement upon actuation of fluid operated cylinders and control mechanism for the cylinders which may be operated automatically or manually to squeeze in against the pile as the sheets are dropped into place so as to form a tight stack.

It is another object of the invention to provide a sheet piler having an overhead conveyor for delivering the sheets to a piling area and side guide members which are mounted for swinging movement to provide ready access to the pile with the side guides at the leading end of the machine mounted on a depending frame which is adjustable longitudinally of the machine.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the piler apparatus which is shown "by way of illustration in the accompanying drawings wherein I FIGURE 1 is a view partially in side elevation and partially in longitudinal section and with portions broken away of a piler apparatus for sheet materials having incorporated therein the principal features of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the piler apparatus of FIGURE 1 with portions broken away or omitted;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical cross section taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1 to an enlarged scale and with portions broken away;

3,256,010 Patented June 14, 1966 FIGURE 8 is avertical view taken on the line 88 of FIGURE 7; and

FIGURE 9 is a vertical view taken on the line 9-9 of FIGURE 2, to an enlarged scale; and

FIGURE 10 is a wiring diagram showing a control .circuit for the side guides.

Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2, particularly, there is illustrated a sheet piler having incorporated therein improved sheet handling and guiding mechanism. The illustrated piler apparatus includes three elongate, transversely spaced, electromagnetic conveyor rail units 10 which may be of the type shown in my Patent No. 2,642,174. The conveyor rails 10 are supported in longitudinally disposed, parallel relation above a piler area 11 by cross beams 12 and 13, the latter forming part of end support structures 14 and 15 disposed at opposite ends of the piler area 11 and between which the sheets, indicated at S, are adapted to be deposited in vertically stacked relation. The piler area 11 will have a platform (not shown) or the like for supporting a pile of sheets which may take the form of a vertically movable table on which a pile supporting truck, pallet or skid (not shown) is accommodated, the pile being formed on the latter for easy removal from the machine.

An infeed belt conveyor 16 is mounted on the end structure 14 at the sheet receiving end of the piler which has a sheet supporting upper run disposed in a horizontal plane and extending beneath the entry ends of the overhead conveyor rail units 10 for feeding successive sheets S to the sheet conveying bottom surfaces of the overhead conveyor rail units 10. A sheet actuated control device, indicated at 17, is mounted at the entry end of the conveyor rail units 10 which is adjustable longitudinally of the machine and which is connected into the current supply circuit for the electromagnets in the conveyor rail units 10 so that the latter are operated in accordance with the passage of the sheets beneath the control device 17. The control device 17 is preferably the inductor switch type shown in Patent No. 2,751,150 granted June 19, 1956 to V. S. Buccicone.

A side guide mechanism 20 (FIGURE 1) is provided for the piler which has an entrance end portion 21 (FIG- URES 1 and 3) supported in relatively fixed position on the inner portion of the end support frame 14. Another si-de guide end portion 22 '(FIGURES 1 and 4) is supported in movable relation on the depending frame 23 of an end stop mechanism 25 which end stop mechanism is mounted for adjustment longitudinally of the machine so as to adapt the machine for handling of sheets of different lengths.

The depending frame 23 of the end stop mechanism 25 (FIGURES l, 2 and 4) supports a vertically disposed bumper plate 26 which is secured on the end of a horizontally dis-posed carriage member 27 slidably supported in a track forming bracket 28 upstanding from a horizontal bottom cross plate member 30 on the frame 23. The

carriage member 27 is pivotally connected at 31 to the end of a piston 32 of an hydraulic cylinder 33 which is pivotally mounted at 34 on a support bracket 35 on the plate member 30 and which is connected by flexible conduit 36 with a source of operating fluid. The bottom plate member 30 extends between a pair of parallel, vertically disposed end plate members 37, 37' (FIGURE 5) each pivotally connected at 40 and 41 to the-lowermost ends of a pair of parallel links 42 and 43. The links 42 and 43 are pivoted at their upper ends at 44 and 45 to side frame members 46, 46' at opposite ends of a top cross frame member 47 (FIGURE 4). The cross frame member 47 is carried on parallel, laterally spaced track forming shaft housings 48, 48' which are mounted on top of side frame members 50 and 50 forming part of the main frame of the machine which connects the two end frames 14 and 15. Adjusting shafts 51, 51' are journaled for rotation in the housings 48, 48 and carriage forming nut members 52, 52' are mounted in screw threaded relation on the shafts 51, 51' and connected to the cross frame member 47 so that the latter is adjusted longitudinally of the machine by rotation of the shafts 51, 51. A drive motor 53 (FIGURES 1 to 3) is mounted on the cross member 54 of the main frame at the entrance end of the machine which has an output sprocket 55 connected by chain 56 with end sprockets 57 and 57 on the ends of adjusting shafts 51 and 51', in the housing 48 and 48'. Idler sprockets 58, 60, 61, 62 and 63 permit adjustment of the tension in the chain 56.

The side guide mechanism 20 (FIGURES 1 and 5 to 8) comprises the entrance end portion 21 having two side guide assemblies 65 and 66 which may be of identical construction, except for being rights and lefts, and the end st-op frame supported portion 22 also having two side guide assemblies 67 and 68, which may be of the same construction as assemblies 65 and 66, also being rights and lefts. One of the side guide assemblies 65 at the entrance end of the machine is shown in detail in FIGURES 6, 7 and 8, it being understood that the other three side guide assemblies 66, 67 and 68 in the illustrated machine are constructed in the same manner.

The side guide assembly 65 comprises a vertically disposed sheet edge engaging member 70 in the form of a plate with a sheetengaging surface and edge flanges forming outwardly curved or rounded edges along the top and vertical sides thereof and having vertically spaced bearing forming top and bottom horizontal plates 71 and 72 of generally triangular shape secured along one side to the back surface of the plate member 70. A pivot pin 73 extends between the plates 71 and 72 and through a sleeve forming portion 74 on the end of a top supporting bracket arm 75 of a two arm supporting bracket assembly. The top bracket arm 75 comprises a relatively narrow, horizontally disposed plate member 76 forming the bottom of the arm and a vertically disposed, generally triangular brace plate member 77 connecting the bearing sleeve 74 for the pin 73 at the free end of the arm and a small cylindrical bearing forming member 78 which is received on the top end portion of a vertically disposed supporting hinge pin 80. The hinge pin 80 is mounted in a bearing forming sleeve member 81 which is fixed on the vertical face of the forward Wall member 82 of a hinge bracket 83.

The hinge bracket 83, which is of inverted L-shaped cross section, is seated in sliding relation on a screw housing 84 which extends transversely of the machine and is supported on a horizontally disposed frame plate 85 (FIGURE 1) on the end frame 14. The hinge pin 80 also supports a bottom bracket arm 86 on which a double acting air cylinder 87 is mounted. The bottom bracket arm 86 comprises a generally rectangular, horizontally disposed top plate 88 and a vertically extending bottom brace plate 90 with a U-shaped bracket formation 91 at the one corner in which the air cylinder is mounted by means of clamp bracket 92 to pivot on the pivot axis indicated at 93. The end of the piston 94 of the cylinder 87 is pivotally connected at 95 (FIGURE 6) to the top bracket arm 75. The bracket plate member 88 is normally latched, when in operative position shown in FIG- URE 6, to the forward wall member 82 of the hinge bracket 83 by means of a removable locking or latching pin 96 which, extends through an aperture 97 in the corner of the plate member 88 and into a keeper sleeve 98 fixed on the wall member 82 of the hinge bracket 93. The top and bottom bracket arms 75 and 86 are independently supported on the hinge pin 80 and connected only by the air cylinder through the pivots 93 and 95. The assembly may be swung about the vertical pivot 80 upon removal of the locking pin 96 to the position shown in phantom line in FIGURE 6 to open the side of the piler box for removal of a pile of sheets without interference from the guide assembly 65.

The hinge bracket 83 is adapted to be moved along the screw housing 84 to adjust the position of the guide assembly 65 transversely of the machine so as to accommodate sheets of different widths. The hinge bracket 83 includes a horizontally disposed top plate 99 extending across the top of the housing 84 with a depending bearing ear 100 along the back edge which serves to hingedly connect the same by means of hinge pin 10:1 to hearing ears 102 on a hinge plate 103 (FIGURE 7). The hinge plate 103 is secured to a vertical side of a carriage nut 104 which is carried on a screw shaft 105 extending longitudinally in the housing 84. The pin receiving ears 102 on the hinge plate 103 extend through a longitudinal slot 106 in the back side wallof the housing 84. Wear plates 107 and 108 are provided on the hinge plate 103 and the bracket plate 82 to reduce the friction between these members and the adjacent walls of the housing 84. The adjusting shaft or screw 105 is journaled in end support plates 110 and 111 at the ends of the housing 84 and is provided with right and left hand threads on opposite sides of the middle thereof so that upon rotation of the shaft 105 the carriage nuts for the side guide assemblies 65 and 66 move toward or from each other on opposite sides of a vertically disposed center back stop plate 112 on the frame 14 depending upon the direction of rotation of the shaft 105.

The screw shaft 105 has a sprocket 113 (FIGURE 3) i at one end which is connected by chain 114 with a sprocket 115 on a shaft extending from a right angle gear box 1 16 mounted at one side of the machine above the side frame member 50'. The gearbox is driven by a spline shaft 117 extending longitudinally of the machine above the side frame member 50'. At the other end of the screw shaft 105 a sprocket 118 is connected by chain 120 with a sprocket 121 on a gauge 122 which indicates the width of sheet for which the side guides are adjusted.

The side guide assemblies 67 and 68 at the other end 22 of the side guide mechanism which are mounted on the plate 30 of the end stop mechanism 25 are constructed and arranged in the same manner as side guide assemblies 65 and 66. They are connected with a screw shaft 125 (FIGURES 4 and 5) in the shaft housing 126 for lateral movement in order to adjust the assemblies for the width of the sheet being piled. The screw shaft .125 has a sprocket 127 at one end which is connected by chain 128 (FIGURES 4 and 9) with a sprocket 130 on a right angle gear box .131 mounted on the top cross frame 47 of the end stop carriage 23. The gear box 131 has a sliding connection with the spline shaft 117 which extends from and is driven by the motor 132, the latter being mounted on valves which includes a selector switch so that the guides may be operated in a number of different ways. For example, the two side guide assemblies on the back side of the machine may be held stationary and only the two assemblies on the front or operator side of the machine may be moved. Also the valve and circuit arrangement preferably is such as to permit the guide plates 70 to be oscillated, either automatically under the control of the piler inductor switch unit 17 or manually if desired. The movement of the plates 70 is controlled so that the guides are open when a sheet falls and then are moved towardthe sheet so as to square up the pile. The selector switch which is provided in the circuit may be of a character to permit all of the guides to be operated at the same time or the individual guides may be operated separately. By properly arranging the circuit complete flexibility of operation can be obtained.

A suitable simplified control circuit for the side guides is illustrated in FIGURE 10. Selector switch S4 is provided for controlling the operation of the solenoid valves SVl and SV2 which are connected into the air supply lines for operating the cylinders 87 on each side of the machine, that is 8V1 controls the movement of the guides of assemblies 65, 67 on one side of the machine and, SVZ controls the movement of the guides of the assemblies 66, 68 on the other side of the machine. The selector switch S5 is provided to permit the operator to set the apparatus for manual operation or for automatic operation with the oscillation of the guides during automatic operation under the control of the inductor switch unit 17. With the circuit shown the apparatus can be set for manual or automatic operation with the guides at the front or rear or at both front and rear of the pile being operated to guide the sheets into proper positron on the pile.

In the apparatus as shown, a double actlng a-1r cylinder 87 is employed with each of the side guide assemblies 65, 66, 67 and 68. Alternatively, a fluid operated cylinder acting in one direction may be employed with a return spring, that is, the cylinder may be operated to urge the guide plate in the direction of the sheets and a tension spring extending between the plates 76 and 78, for example, may be provided to urge the arms 75 in the direction away from the sheets.

An additional safety feature to guard against damage to the depending frame 23 and its associated apparatus 18 provided in the form of a small limit switch, mdrcated at 136 in FIGURE 9, which is normally closed when the arm 43 rests on the switch button and which will open when the arm 43 is raised. The switch contacts are connected into the operating circuit so that in the event the operator carelessly allows the hoist to pus-h up underneath the bumper unit the switch '136 will open and stop the upward movement of the hoist or, if desired, the operation of the piler.

In using the apparatus, the end stop mechamsm 25 18 adjusted to the proper position longitudinally of the machine for the length of sheet which is to be piled. This automatically adjusts the position of the portion 22 of the side guide apparatus 20. Thereafter, the side guide assemblies 65, 66 and 67, 68 are adjusted laterally relative to each other according to the width of the sheet which is being piled by rotation of the shaft 117. The side guide apparatus 20 may then be set for either automatic or manual operation. Automatic operation is controlled by the sheet actuated inductor switch mechanism 17 on the end frame structure 14 so that as each sheet enters the piling area the side guide assemblies at either one side or both sides of the machine are opened to permit the sheet to fall between the same and thereafter are closed on the sheet to align the sheet in the pile.

While particular materials and specific forms of construction are shown in the illustrated form of the apparatus, it will be understood that other materials and equivalent structural details may be resorted to within the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A sheet piler comprising a rectangular piler box and an overhead conveyor for delivering sheets thereto, edge guides for the sides of the sheets as they are de posited in the piler box, bracket arms supporting said edge guides, said bracket arms being disposed at the four corners of the piler box, each of said edge guides being mounted on a vertical pivot on the associated bracket arm for swinging movement, said bracket arms being mounted on vertical pivots and saidpivots on at least one side of the piler box being spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the piler a distance greater than the length of the sheets being piled whereby the side edge guides thereon may be swung outwardly of the pile of sheets to a position to clear the side of the pile so that the sheets may be moved sidewise out of the piler.

2. Apparatus for piling metal sheets comprising an overhead sheet advancing conveyor, upright end support frames disposed in fixed, longitudinally spaced relation at opposite ends of the conveyor, an elongate housing extending transversely of the conveyor on one of the end frames, an adjusting screw journaled in said housing, a pair of sheet side guide carriages mounted on said housing for sliding movement in the direction transversely of the conveyor, a pair of traveling nuts on said adjusting screw, each of said side guide carriages being pivotally connected with one of the traveling nuts on an axis which extends transversely of the conveyor and a side guide pivotally mounted on each carriage on an axis which extends vertically of the conveyor whereby said side guides may be moved laterally of the conveyor by rotation of said screw and said side guides may be swung on their pivotal connections out of the path of the sheets.

3. Apparatus for piling metal sheets comprising an overhead rail-type sheet advancing conveyor, end support frames disposed at opposite ends of the conveyor, an elongate housing supported on one of said end frames and extending transversely of the conveyor, a transversely exsaid housing, side guide carriages mounted on said housing for sliding movement in the direction transversely of the conveyor, traveling nuts on said adjusting screw, each of said side guide carriages being pivotally connected with one of the traveling nuts on a transversely extending axis which is parallel with the long axis of said adjusting screw, and a side guide mounted on each of said carriages on a vertical axis which is perpendicular to the axis of said adjusting screw whereby said side guides may be adjusted laterally of the conveyor by rotation of said adjusting screw and each of said side guides may be swung outwardly about said vertical axis and upwardly about said transverse axis to an out-of-use position.

4. Apparatus for piling metal sheets comprising an overhead conveyor having means for advancing sheets on its lower face for deposit by gravity in a piling area, end support frames disposed in longitudinally spaced rela tion at opposite ends of the conveyor, a pair of edge guides for engaging the side edges of the sheets, which side edge guides are disposed in laterally spaced relation on one of said end support frames, movable carriages mounting said guides for adjusting laterally of each other,

an end stop mechanism including an overhead carriage,

means for mounting said overhead carriage for adjustment longitudinally of said conveyor and a support frame depending from said carriage, a second pair of edge guides for engaging the side edges 'of the sheets, movable carriages on said depending support frame for mounting said second pair of side edge guides, and a supporting cross shaft journaled on said depending support frame and threadingly connected to said movable carriages for adjusting said carriages relative to each other in the direction laterally of the conveyor, and means for adjusting said overhead carriage longitudinally of said conveyor.

5. Apparatus for piling metal sheets comprising an overhead sheet advancing conveyor, end support frames at opposite ends of the conveyor, said end support frames being spaced to provide a piling area beneath the conveyor, an adjusting screw extending transversely of the conveyor on one of the end frames, a pair of sheet side guides, side guide carriages mounted for sliding movement in the direction transversely of the conveyor, a pair of traveling nuts on said adjusting screw, said side guide carriages each being pivotally connected with one of the traveling nuts on an axis which is parallel with the longitudinal axis of said adjusting screw and each of said side guides being mounted on one of said carriages on an axis which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said adjusting screw, fluid operated means for swinging each said side guide about said last mentioned axis, and means for actuating said fluid operated means in response to advancing movement of the sheets, whereby said side guides may be adjusted laterally of the conveyor to position the same along opposite sides of the piling area by rotation of said screw and said side guides may be swung to guide the sheets into vertically aligned relation on a pile.

6. Apparatus for piling metal sheets comprising an overhead conveyor for advancing sheets along the lower face thereof to a piling area for gravity deposit therein, upright supporting frames disposed in longitudinally spaced supporting relation at opposite ends of the conveyor, a pair of sheet side edge guides disposed in laterally spaced relation on one of said end support frames, carriages for said side edge guides mounted for adjustment in a direction laterally of said conveyor, an end stop mechanism mounted for longitudinal movement on said conveyor and having a depending support frame, a second pair of sheet side edge guides, carriages on said depending support frame for mounting said second pair of side edge guides, means for adjusting the carriages for said second pair of side edge guides relative to each other in the direction laterally of the conveyor, means for adjustably positioning said end stop mechanism and said depending support frame longitudinally of said conveyor, means including a vertical pivot for mounting on its associated carriage a side edge guide of each pair thereof at one side of the conveyor so that said side edge guides may be swung to a non-operative position and clear a path for moving the sheets sidewise out of the piling area.

7. Apparatus for piling metal sheets comprising an overhead conveyor having means for advancing sheets on the lower face thereof for deposit by gravity in a pile, end support frames disposed in longitudinally spaced relation at opposite ends of the conveyor, pairs of side edge guides positioned for engaging the side edges of the sheets adjacent opposite ends thereof, the side edge guides of each pair thereof being disposed in laterally spaced relation, and being mounted for adjustment laterally of each other, an end stop mechanism including an overhead carriage movably mounted for adjustment longitudinally of said conveyor and a support frame depending from said carriage, said support frame including a bottom platform and a downwardly extending parallel linkage connecting said bottom platform with said overhead carriage so that force exerted from below on said platform will swing the platform upwardly on said linkage, means on the bottom platform of said depending support frame for mounting a pair of said side edge guides thereon, and means for moving said overhead carriage longitudinally of said conveyor.

8. A sheet piler comprising a piler box, a conveyor for advancing sheets for deposit in the piler box and guide members disposed along opposite sides of the piler box for guiding the side edges of the sheets in a vertical path as they are dropped onto the pile, means for supporting the edge guide members in longitudinally spaced relation along at least one side of the piler box, said supporting means being mounted on longitudinally spaced pivots so that the edge guide members may be swung from an operative side edge guiding position along the side of the pile to an inoperative position spaced from the side of the pile Where they are spaced apart a distance greater than the length of the sheets being piled so that they are disposed out of the path of sheets moved between said side edge guides in a sidewise direction out of the piler box.

9. In a sheet piler which comprises a conveyor mounted above a piling area for depositing sheets in a pile in said area, laterally spaced pairs of sheet edge guiding members disposed along opposite sides of the piling area, support brackets for said edge guide members, the edge guide members on at least one side of the piling area be ing pivotally mounted on the ends of the associated support brackets, said support brackets being mounted at their opposite ends on vertical axes which are spaced longitudinally of the piler at opposite ends of the piling area so that they may be swung out of sheet edge guiding position towards the ends of the piler thereby opening the side of the piling area and clearing the same for removal of the sheets through said open side.

10. In a sheet piler having a piling area and an overhead conveyor for delivering sheets for deposit in the piling area, edge guides for the sides of the sheets as they are deposited in the piling area, said edge guides being disposed in paired relation at opposite ends of the piling area, a bracket arm supporting each of said edge guides, each of said edge guides being pivotally mounted on the free end of the associated supporting bracket arm for swinging movement on a vertical axis, said bracket arm being mounted on a vertical pivot for swinging movement outwardly from a position where the guides engage side edges of the sheet to a position spaced longitudinally from opposite ends of the sheet, said pivots on at least one side of the piling area being spaced a sufiicient distance in the longitudinal direction of the piler so that the edge guides are swung to a position where they clear the side of the piling area and permit the sheets to be moved sidewise between the edge guides and out of the piler.

11. A sheet piler comprising a rectangular piler box and an overhead conveyor for delivering sheets thereto for gravity deposit therein, edge guides for the sides of the sheets as they are deposited in the piler box, said edge guides being disposed along the sides of the piler box at the four corners of the piler box, each of said edge guides being mounted on a vertical pivot, means for imparting an oscillating movement about its pivot to each of said edge guides, and means responsive to movement of the sheets for controlling the oscillation of said edge guides so as to bring the edges of the sheets into vertical alignment on the pl e.

12. A sheet piler comprising an overhead conveyor for depositing sheets in a piler box, sheet edge guide members mounted along opposite sides of the piler box, bracket arms pivotally supporting said edge guide members, said bracket arms being mounted on vertical axes which are spaced longitudinally a distance greater than the length of the sheet being piled so that the associated edge guide member may be swung into and out of sheet edge guiding position, power driven means for swinging said edge guide members on their pivotal supports, andmeans responsive to advancing movement of the sheets for operating said power means to selectively oscillate said guide members.

13. Apparatus for piling metal sheets comprising an overhead conveyor for advancing sheets along the lower face thereof to a piling area for gravity deposit therein,

upright supporting frames disposed in longitudinally mounted for longitudinal movement on said conveyor and having a depending support frame, a second pair of sheet side guides, carriages on said depending support frame :for mounting said second pair of side edge guides, means for adjusting the carriages for said second pair of side edge guides relative to each other in the direction laterally of the conveyor, means for adjustably positioning said end stop mechanism and said depending support frame longitudinally of said conveyor, said side edge guides being mounted on vertical pivots on said carriages, pivotally mounted fluid motors connected to said side guides, and means responsive to advancing movement of the sheets for controlling said fluid motors so as to vibrate said side edge guides in a horizontal path toward and from the edges of the sheets.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS White -3 27188 Barber 27188- Clauberg 271-89 Dorald 271-86 H-alvorsen et a1. 271-89 Buccicone 271--86 X Howdle 27189 Raynor.

4M. HENSON WOOD, 1a., Primary Examiner.

ROBERT B. REEVES, Examiner. 15 s. ALPERT, A. N. KNOWLES, Assistant Examiners. 

1. A SHEET PILER COMPRISING A RECTANGULAR PILER BOX AND AN OVERHEAD CONVEYOR FOR DELIVERING SHEETS THERETO EDGE GUIDES FOR THE SIDES OF THE SHEETS AS THEY ARE DEPOSITED IN THE PILER BOX, BRACKET ARMS SUPPORTING SAID EDGE GUIDES, SAID BRACKET ARMS BEING DISPOSED AT THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE PILER BOX, EACH OF SAID EDGE GUIDES BEING MOUNTED ON A VERTICAL PIVOT ON THE ASSOCIATED BRACKET ARM FOR SWINGING MOVEMENT, SAID BRACKET ARMS BEING MOUTED ON VERTICAL PIVOTS AND SAID PIVOTS ON AT LEAST ONE SIDE OF THE PILER BOX BEING SPACED APART IN THE LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION OF THE PILER A DISTANCE GREATER THAN THE LENGTH OF THE SHEETS BEING PILED WHEREBY THE SIDE EDGE GUIDES THEREON MAY BE SWUNG OUTWARDLY OF THE PILE OF SHEETS TO A POSITION TO CLEAR THE SIDE OF THE PILE SO THAT THE SHEETS MAY BE MOVED SIDEWISE OUT OF THE PILER. 